Chapter 234: The Mystic Stone Chariot

Chapter 234: The Mystic Stone Chariot

Thirty years ago, Qiu Xinghui had already reached the Ninth Level of the Transcendent Realm, accumulating Profound Qi within his body. However, his martial cultivation had stagnated, unable to advance further.

Now serving as the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Annihilation Dao, Qiu Xinghui was eager to break through to the Earthly Venerable Realm as soon as possible. Only by reaching this realm would he truly be worthy of his current status and position. Thus, when Ning Xiaochuan offered to gift him a Great Earth Solemnity Pill, his heart was genuinely stirred.

Having lived for so many years, Qiu Xinghui maintained a calm demeanor. "The Great Earth Solemnity Pill is an advanced Mystic Pill, something only an Advanced Heart Nurturer could refine. Moreover, the materials required are exceedingly rare."

Ning Xiaochuan asked, "Is Elder Qiu concerned about the Jian Pavilion Marquis House’s financial and material resources?"

Qiu Xinghui shook his head. "The Jian Pavilion Marquis House has a long heritage and profound foundations. Acquiring the profound medicines needed for the Great Earth Solemnity Pill shouldn’t be difficult. To be frank, I’ve already gathered five of the seven required profound medicines myself. It’s just..."

"Just that it’s hard to find a suitable Advanced Heart Nurturer?" Ning Xiaochuan’s lips curled slightly.

The entire Soul Domain only had two or three Advanced Heart Nurturers, and even among them, their specializations varied. The Mystic Pills they refined could be of Yin Attribute, Yang Attribute, Yin-Yang Attribute, or Mixed-element Attribute. Only if the pill’s attribute matched the martial artist’s physique could it be fully absorbed.

Thus, even if Qiu Xinghui gathered all seven profound medicines, finding the right Advanced Heart Nurturer to refine the pill would be a challenge.

Qiu Xinghui was no fool. Ning Xiaochuan’s words implied that he could help find such an Advanced Heart Nurturer.

He thought to himself: Ning Xiaochuan is an Intermediate Heart Nurturer of the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall and must have connections with many senior Advanced Heart Nurturers. If he intervened, securing one would surely be easier than if Qiu Xinghui tried himself.

Qiu Xinghui said, "If Young Master Ning can invite a Yin-Yang Attribute Advanced Heart Nurturer to refine the Great Earth Solemnity Pill for me, then regardless of whether the pill succeeds, I’ll agree to this deal."

Ning Xiaochuan didn’t reveal that he himself was an Advanced Heart Nurturer. Instead, he smiled and said, "Very well. If Elder Qiu trusts me, within three months, I will send someone to deliver the Great Earth Solemnity Pill to White Dragon City."

"Then it’s settled!" Qiu Xinghui let out a grating laugh.

For the Demon Sect, assassinating a high-ranking official of the imperial court was nothing extraordinary. But if they could gain benefits while doing so, why not?

Late at night, outside White Dragon City, the fierce roar of a giant lion echoed as the Scorpion Lion’s tail sliced through over a dozen large trees.

"Boom—!"

Xiao Cheng, mounted atop the Scorpion Lion, wore rhinoceros-hide armor with Green Gold embedded in his chestplate, armguards, and greaves. His gaze swept imperiously across the surroundings as he growled, "A bunch of Demon Sect rats dare to ambush me? Do you not know I am the Alliance Leader of the Cloud Alliance from the Emperor’s Martial Palace?"

Xiao Cheng had followed Ning Xiaochuan’s lingering aura all the way to White Dragon City. Before he could even enter, he was ambushed by Demon Sect experts.

The Demon Sect and the Imperial Army were engaged in battle, with branch altars of the Demon Sect being raided across the land. Thus, mutual ambushes between the Demon Sect and the imperial forces were nothing unusual. Xiao Cheng didn’t dwell on it, nor did he connect the incident to Ning Xiaochuan.

Shadows flickered among the surrounding trees, and a sinister Demonic Qi seeped out, turning the path ahead pitch black, as if drenched in ink.

"Our target is the Alliance Leader of the Cloud Alliance," a hoarse, aged voice echoed from the dense forest.

"Whoosh!"

A luminous arrow shot up from the woods, illuminating the sky as a signal.

Forty Demon Sect experts clad in black robes simultaneously leaped to the treetops, channeling Profound Qi to balance on the leaves. Each wielded a Divine Slaying Crossbow, drawing their bolts and aiming at Xiao Cheng.

Forty waves of killing intent converged upon him.

"To bring forty Divine Slaying Crossbows—these are no ordinary Demon Sect experts. This is a premeditated ambush. Who in the Demon Sect would want me dead so badly?" Xiao Cheng pondered.

Though Forbidden Military Artifacts rarely fell into civilian hands, for a high-ranking figure like the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Annihilation Dao, obtaining a batch of such weapons was no difficult feat.

"Rumble—"

The sound of wheels and clanking chains echoed as a Mystic Stone Chariot, pulled by a sixth-rank mystic beast, emerged from the forest and halted on a hillside, its cannon barrel trained on Xiao Cheng.

Qiu Xinghui and Ning Xiaochuan stood beside the chariot, their faces masked as they coldly observed Xiao Cheng in the distance.

"To deal with Xiao Cheng, I’ve brought out my most treasured possession."

Qiu Xinghui placed a mid-grade Profound Stone into the chariot’s slot. The stone melted automatically, transforming into liquid Profound Qi that fused with the chariot.

The Mystic Stone Chariot was one of the most devastating Forbidden Military Artifacts, capable of annihilating even Earthly Venerable Realm martial artists—a true weapon of mass destruction.

Of course, such chariots were exceedingly rare. The materials required to forge a single one could buy an entire small city.

Most crucially, only the Divine Flame Battalion of the military could refine these chariots, making their leakage into the outside world nearly impossible.

Thus, Qiu Xinghui proudly declared this chariot his prized treasure.

Naturally, the Mystic Stone Chariot also consumed vast amounts of Profound Stones—each shot required one stone.

To kill a martial powerhouse like Xiao Cheng, at least a mid-grade Profound Stone was necessary.

A single mid-grade Profound Stone was worth at least eight million Small Coins, a cost far beyond the means of ordinary people. Only the armies of empires could afford to deploy Mystic Stone Chariots in conquest, ensuring invincibility.

Ning Xiaochuan gazed at the colossal war machine before him, resembling a small fortress of steel, and couldn’t help but feel tempted. "Impressive. I never imagined Elder Qiu Xinghui could acquire a Mystic Stone Chariot. I’ve heard the Yulan Empire possesses fewer than a hundred of these, each treated as a priceless treasure."

Elder Qiu Xinghui smirked smugly. "This is merely a Human-Grade Mystic Stone Chariot, with a maximum range of only 800 kilometers—far inferior to an Earth-Grade Mystic Stone Chariot. An Earth-Grade chariot can strike targets 6,000 kilometers away. If White Dragon City possessed one, it could directly bombard the Imperial City."

He did not tell Ning Xiaochuan how he had obtained this Mystic Stone Chariot. It was his secret.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "What if I wanted to buy this Mystic Stone Chariot..."

"Haha, Young Master Ning, the Mystic Stone Chariot is a priceless treasure. Even if you offered me an entire city, I wouldn’t sell it," Elder Qiu Xinghui laughed.

While Ning Xiaochuan and Elder Qiu Xinghui were conversing, far away, the martial artists of the Demon Sect had already begun attacking Xiao Cheng, drawing their Divine Slaying Crossbows and firing Divine Slaying Arrows.

Ning Xiaochuan stared coldly at the distant battle, his eyes icy. "Xiao Cheng, ah, Xiao Cheng... Finally, you get to taste the bitterness of being surrounded and hunted."